Oral History — Ken Wallingford
In honor of Vietnam Veterans Day, we’d like to share with you the interview of Ken Wallingford, who served in the U.S. Army from 1969 until 1973.
Ken Wallingford attended paratrooper school at Ft. Benning and Special Forces, phase one training, at Ft. Bragg. Mr. Wallingford was sent to Vietnam in August 1970 and was assigned as a sniper with the 25th Infantry Division.
One year later, he volunteered for a second tour of duty as a military advisor with the Military Assistance Command Vietnam. He was captured on April 5, 1972, when his unit was overrun and spent ten months in a tiger cage in a POW camp in Cambodia. He was finally released on February 12, 1973.
Mr. Wallingford was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and two Purple Hearts among numerous other decorations.
Today he is a Veterans Liaison for the Texas Veterans Land Board.
The Oral History program seeks to record the stories of Texas Veterans and archive the their stories in the Texas General Land Office for future researchers, historians, genealogists and the general public. Voices of Veterans ensures these stories of courage and service can inspire Texans for generations to come.
